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​Humane Education & Responsible Pet Ownership

Many of the problems CMPD Animal Care & Control Officers face everyday, such as pet overpopulation and some animal cruelty cases, are not due to any willful intent on the part of the owner. They are the result of a lack of knowledge about responsible pet ownership. In an effort to correct these problems, we offer a variety of educational programs for various groups such as elementary and high school children, Boy/Girl Scout Troops, summer schools/camps, daycares and after-school programs. We also offer the same programs geared towards businesses such as mail carriers, Code Enforcement, Social Services and many others that are likely to encounter a dog.

These programs are:

Bite Prevention

Responsible Pet Ownership

Animal Care & Control Ordinance Education

Shelter Tours

Bite prevention – This program is catered to children and adults. The topics of discussion include: how to read a dog’s body language; how to handle a loose dog; how to approach and handle owned dogs; what to do if attacked.

Responsible Pet Ownership – This program covers all the basic needs of any owned animal. It also covers advice on animals that may be outdoor or indoor, proper dog training, safety tips for outdoor pets and travel plans, the importance of spaying and neutering as well as tips on how to be prepared in case of an emergency.

Animal Care & Control Ordinances for Mecklenburg County – Officer Julia Conner can attend presentations, seminars and community meetings to discuss and answer questions pertaining to the animal ordinances and laws in Mecklenburg County.

Tours of the Shelter – Animal Care & Control appreciates those that do food drives for the Pet Food Bank and supply and money collections for the animals at our shelter. We like to thank these groups by providing them a tour of our shelter. We’ve even had birthday parties here! The tour will include educational tidbits about our shelter, the animals, some of our procedures and learn about some different animals that may or may not make good pets.

​If you would like to schedule a school, or business visit, schedule a shelter tour or would like more information on the programs listed, please contact Officer Julia Conner through email at jconner@cmpd.org .